Follow In Dad's Footsteps
by Amaranti
Summary: Cooper asks Blaine to get closer to Smythe to try to find out whether his dad is a Death Eater or not. Harry Potter crossover. Written for the Seblaine Biweekly Challenge.


**Title:** Follow In Dad's Footsteps  
**Author:** Amaranti  
**Rating:** T  
**Pairings:** Sebastian/Blaine  
**Warnings:** Nothing I think.

**Summary:** Cooper asks Blaine to get closer to Smythe to try to find out whether his dad is a Death Eater or not. Harry Potter crossover. Written for the Seblaine Biweekly Challenge.

* * *

Blaine's big brother is whoring him out for the sake of the wizarding world.

Blaine mentioned to Cooper, a little tipsy after a bottle of Butterbeer, that there is a boy called Sebastian Smythe who is kind of into Blaine even though he's in Slytherin and his family is pureblood while Blaine is a Gryffindor and his mother is a Muggle. Blaine expected his brother to laugh and wink at him, perhaps also remind him that Cooper will be on the cover of _Witch Weekly_ next week _again_.

Instead Cooper told him to get as close as possible to Sebastian Smythe, because his father is a suspected Death Eater but no one has enough proof and you can't throw the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement into Azkaban because you _think_ he's a Death Eater.

Because Blaine's friendship and, _Merlin_, his body is enough to get Sebastian Smythe to admit that his father is a Death Eater. _Right_.

Blaine never would have thought his brother would _overestimate_ him one day.

* * *

Smythe almost blinds him.

It's an accident, but Blaine _could have lost his eye_ and Smythe doesn't even apologize to him. He visits Blaine once, makes a nasty quip about how the Muggle blood in Blaine's veins must have been the reason Blaine jumped in front of his curse instead of using _Protego_ and leaves with a superior smirk.

Blaine _doesn't_ stare at the back of his neck and wonders how it would feel to bite softly into the skin and push his fingers into Smythe's silky-looking brown hair.

Alright, maybe he does, but he's sure it's just a side effect of the painkiller potion.

Kurt and Rachel visit him after lunch, putting half of Honeydukes onto his bed. Kurt tells him he's terribly relieved Blaine's alright, and he really shouldn't have jumped in front of Kurt, because Kurt knows how to protect himself, especially from Smythe. It's true; Kurt and Smythe are basically archenemies, two sons of two of the largest, richest and oldest pureblood families, members of the Quidditch team, one Gryffindor and the other Slytherin.

Blaine didn't mean to be hit by Smythe's curse and almost lose his eye; he just wanted Smythe to pay some attention to him. Most of the time Blaine thinks the only reason Smythe flirts with him is to piss Kurt off.

Blaine isn't sure what he was expecting.

That Smythe would rush into the hospital wing worried out of his mind, fall onto his knees in front of Blaine's bed and beg for forgiveness?

Hah, right.

Smythe _smirked_ when Dave Karofsky almost had his arm ripped off by a wild Hippogriff that got hit by a stray spell.

Maybe Blaine should find a way to become friends with the Slytherin that doesn't include having to spend two weeks in the hospital wing _because_ of Smythe.

* * *

"Smythe transfigured my owl into a dildo," Kurt scowls as he nibbles on a sugar quill. "Because he thinks that's the only dick I will ever get."

Blaine quickly bites into his lip as he continues to look for his History of Magic essay, trying not to snicker.

"To be fair before that you turned his owl into a meerkat and told him – no, told _everyone_, so loud I'm sure even the Giant Squid could hear it – that it really is true that pets resemble their owner."

The sugar quill slips out of Kurt's mouth in shock.

"Since when are you defending Sebastian Smythe?"

_Since I have to bend over backwards – bend over a table, probably – to get him to admit his dad is a Death Eater_, Blaine thinks bitterly.

"I'm just saying that you were the one who started it this time," Blaine shrugs, finally giving up trying to find his essay and flopping into an armchair, sighing in exhaustion. "Not that I blame you... Hey, you're really good at transfiguring things. So is Smythe. I can't even turn my goblet into a…"

"Smythe isn't good at _anything_," Kurt snaps, grabbing a Chocolate Frog. It's a lie; Sebastian Smythe and his Bludgers were the reason Kurt couldn't catch the Snitch during the latest Gryffindor-Slytherin match. "Though I would bet a thousand galleons he would be _excellent_ at being eaten by a Manticore." Kurt's eyes widen suddenly and his face breaks into a grin. Before Blaine could start to get worried that the idea of someone getting eaten by a Manticore makes his best friend so cheerful Kurt exclaims, voice trembling in excitement: "Xavier Rastrick! Merlin's Beard, Blaine, my card is Xavier Rastrick!"

Blaine nods as Kurt pushes the card into his face, glad to see Kurt so happy even if he himself can't exactly understand why a Chocolate Frog card is such a big deal.

"Oh, this evening would be perfect if I didn't have to write this Muggle Studies essay." Kurt moans, the grin slipping off his face. The frog croaks once before Kurt bites its head off. "I thought we would learn more about their fashion. Muggles wear the most interesting clothes. But instead we learn about boring stuff like the microwave or that printer thing. I don't even see the point of most of their inventions. And Professor Pillsbury said the O.W.L. is really, really difficult… I think I'll just ask Rachel to talk about how she lives with her dads or something…"

Blaine raises a Cauldron Cake to his lips, staring into the flames dancing in the fireplace, his eyes widening as he realizes how he could try to get closer to Smythe.

* * *

Smythe agrees to teach him how to turn a goblet into a Horklump, of course not without smirking a lot at Blaine fumbling, telling Blaine he should take his robe off because then he could move his arm more freely and talking about how he doesn't know why Kurt Hummel is allowed to be a Seeker because he can't even catch a guy let alone a Snitch.

"Maybe he doesn't want to," Blaine sneers as he turns the Horklump back into a goblet, pretty proud of himself before he leans closer and realizes the goblet has black bristles. "There are more important things than sex."

"Like what?" Smythe snorts.

"Like loyalty, friendship… But of course for a Slytherin these words mean as much as a text written in Parseltongue." Blaine isn't sure Parseltongue isn't just a spoken language, but Smythe doesn't correct him. "Your name sounds like it is in Parseltongue."

Smythe aims his wand at him and for a moment Blaine thinks Smythe wants to attack him for saying that, even though it isn't even offensive; shouldn't a Slytherin be proud of having a name like that? But Smythe instead turns the goblet in front of Blaine into a Puffskein.

"Turn _this_ into a Horklump. It's too easy to transfigure inanimate objects." _No, it's actually not_, Blaine thinks. He looks down at the adorable ball of fluff on the table. It makes a purring sound. Blaine can't help but smile softly at it and he refuses to even _try_ to transform it. What if he accidentally kills it or something?

"I'm tired," Blaine says, slipping his wand into the pocket of his robe. "Thanks for helping me."

"So will you tell me why you _really_ asked for my help? You could have asked one of your Gryffindor friends, even someone from Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. Why me?"

Smythe stares at him with his eyes narrowed, expression full of wariness, and Blaine wonders, blood turning cold; does he know Legilimency?

"Okay, I…" Blaine swallows. He is not good at lying, even though he has to learn it if he wants to be an Auror one day. "My dad and my brother want me to be an Obliviator, because _obviously_ I want to spend my whole life modifying the memories of Muggles… So I decided to, you know, rebel against them. Show them they can't tell me how to live my life. And I thought they would be _really_ mad if I became friends with a Slytherin, or maybe, um, more, especially if it's another boy, and I know that you, uh, fancy me, so…"

Smythe laughs loudly in amusement. Blaine feels a blush warm his cheeks in embarrassment, and he looks down at his shoes.

"Meet me in the Prefects' bathroom tomorrow around midnight, Anderson."

Blaine feels like he was just hit by the Petrificus Totalus spell.

He's pretty sure Smythe doesn't want to play cards or talk about homework in the Prefects' bathroom.

Blaine only ever had one kiss, and that was with Rachel after a bottle of Firewhiskey last summer. Blaine wants romance; he wants to walk in Hogsmeade with his hand in his boyfriend's hand, wants to share soft kisses that taste like Pink Coconut Ice behind Potage's Cauldron Shop, wants to wait with his heart beating impatiently for his owl to come back with a sweet letter from his love, wants to write his Ancient Runes essay curled into his boyfriend's side in a hidden corner of the library.

He isn't ready to lose his virginity to _Sebastian Smythe_ in the Prefects' bathroom.

But Blaine has to do it. For his big brother. For the sake of the wizarding world.

"But you are not even a Prefect," Blaine frowns.

"Quidditch captains can use it too." Blaine nods sheepishly, hoping Sebastian isn't offended or something. "The password is 'Wiggenweld Potion'. And stop looking like you just noticed the Dark Mark in the sky. I'm not gonna force you to do anything. You are cute, but you're still a Gryffindor, your mother is a Muggle and you are friends with Mudbloods and blood traitors. For me this is just something that will hopefully make me feel a bit less bored. That's it." Smythe turns to go, but he stops just in front of the door, not looking back at Blaine. His tone is unreadable as he speaks. "I do know what you feel. I feel like rebelling against my parents too, sometimes. I know I should feel lucky, because my family is rich and old and pureblood and everything one could want, but… It's just that… Never mind."

Smythe leaves without another word.

* * *

The N.E.W.T.s are coming closer and closer like hungry Flobberworms to their lettuces, but Flobberworms are harmless so maybe they are more like Dementors, because all this studying also sucks the soul out of Blaine, except it's a lot slower and more painful than a Dementor's Kiss.

So it's nice to soak in the Prefects' bathroom, for once not being buried under books so thick Blaine could beat a Hippogriff to death with them, letting the scorching hot water and the lemon and vanilla scented bath oils relax his body and make him forget, at least for a few hours, the stirring techniques and the source of the Kappa's strength and how many hours a Salamander can survive out of fire.

Sebastian's smooth voice, his fingers playing with Blaine's wet curls and their feet tangled under the water also make Blaine feel better. He stares at Sebastian's pretty green eyes and the way his lips move as he complains about their house elf blowing up their Self-Stirring Cauldron. It's not that Blaine is bored (okay, perhaps a little bit), he just really wants to kiss Sebastian, so he leans closer – one of the many things he likes about being here is that he doesn't have to stand on his tiptoes for once to kiss Sebastian – and presses a kiss against Sebastian's lips. They taste like Drobble's Best Blowing Gum – crazyberry flavored, only four sickles. Sebastian scoffed at the prize, telling Blaine he can always give him as many galleons as Blaine needs to buy something not so cheap, his family has a vault in Gringotts guarded by a dragon, after all.

But Blaine has pride, and his family isn't poor either, even if they don't have a dragon guarding their vault, and he actually likes Drobble's Best Blowing Gum, so he politely declined Sebastian's offer.

Blaine presses closer as Sebastian deepens the kiss, their naked chests sliding against each other under the water, Sebastian's arms wrapped around his shoulders. Blaine always has that giddy feeling tightening in his stomach when Sebastian holds him in his muscular arms, so strong because of all the Quidditch practice. Sebastian once let Blaine try to hit the Bludger with Sebastian's bat. After that Blaine never made fun of him again for being a Beater only because that's the easiest position.

They break apart when they hear the mermaid giggle behind them. They turn towards the painting, Sebastian winking cheekily as Blaine glares at her. She is the only reason Blaine would like to find another place sometimes, but the very thought of going near the Gryffindor Tower makes Sebastian sick and Blaine doubts he would be warmly welcomed in the Slytherin Dungeon.

Sebastian swims to the edge of the pool, starting to rummage through his bag.

"Did I tell you about that time we had to go to Diagon Alley because mom wanted to buy new telescopes and a bunch of other stuff, and I wanted to buy new robes too, and mom was like 'Madam Malkin's is for Mudbloods, we're going to Twilfitt and Tattings, and…'"

"Don't say that word," Blaine interrupts him. Just hearing it makes him feel nauseous.

"That's what my mother said." Sebastian wants to kiss Blaine again, but Blaine turns his head away. "Aw, come on, don't pout."

"I have every right to be mad at you." Blaine shakes his head when Sebastian offers him a Licorice Wand. Sebastian shrugs, putting the tip between his own lips. "You called Rachel that just a few days ago. Just because you didn't do it while I was there doesn't mean she didn't tell me about it later."

Blaine blushes as Sebastian slowly licks a long stripe up the length of the Licorice Wand, but he doesn't look away, knowing Sebastian would tease him endlessly if he did.

"So, you need at least five N.E.W.T.s with an E, huh?" Sebastian asks. "To become an Auror. Sounds tough."

"Yeah," Blaine sighs. He feels annoyed at Sebastian for bringing the N.E.W.T.s up, but he suddenly realizes this is the perfect opportunity to try to get to know more about Sebastian's dad. Sometimes he actually forgets he isn't with Sebastian only because of the Prefects' bathroom and his amazing arms and his licorice flavored, passionate kisses and the way he gives Blaine a secret little smile after helping Blaine find the book he needs for his homework. "My dad and Cooper are still against it, but they realized they can't stop me trying to fulfill my dreams. I know it's dangerous but I really want to help and protect innocents."

Sebastian gives him a honest smile, one that for once isn't mocking and arrogant. They are together now, but that doesn't mean that Sebastian stopped mocking Blaine's friends and occasionally even Blaine himself in public. It bothers Blaine a lot, of course, but sometimes he likes to think Sebastian doesn't really mean those horrible things, he just has to say them because he has a reputation to uphold as the Slytherin Quidditch captain and the son of an elitist pureblood family.

"What about you?" Blaine asks. Sebastian swims closer to him, moves behind him and wraps one arm around Blaine's chest loosely, his thumb brushing his nipple. Blaine closes his eyes in pleasure, but he doesn't let himself get too distracted. "What are your plans?"

"I have to follow in dad's footsteps," Sebastian's voice doesn't betray anything and Blaine can't see his face, but he doubts it would tell him anything. Sebastian can mean that he is excited to be the head of the largest and most important department at the Ministry of Magic, but also that his dad is actually a Death Eater and Sebastian has no choice but to become one too.

"Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?" Blaine murmurs. "Sounds quite cool. But I bet you have to have lots of N.E.W.T.s with an E to get that position." Sebastian laughs brightly, and he puts the Licorice Wand down, next to his bag, the tip shining with Sebastian's saliva. He finds Blaine's hand under the water and intertwines their fingers. Sebastian squeezes gently and Blaine quickly squeezes back, knowing his next words could destroy everything between them. But he has to say it. "And if you fail, well, you can just become a Death Eater. I bet You-Know-Who doesn't ask for any N.E.W.T. with an E."

Sebastian wrenches his hand out of Blaine's.

"You really think that?" Sebastian sounds _so_ upset, _betrayed_, his eyes suddenly filled with terror. Blaine feels his heart break, and he opens his mouth to apologize, but Sebastian continues, his voice frantic and bitter. "Because I'm a Slytherin and because sometimes I make fun of other students because of their parents you think I would murder and torture innocents? Not everyone in Slytherin becomes a Death Eater. Yes, I was the one who threw that Dungbomb at the door of the Muggle Studies Classroom but that was mostly because I knew how terrified Professor Pillsbury is of dirt, not because I… I could never use an Unforgivable Curse, okay? I thought at least _you_ know this, Blaine."

Happiness bubbles up in Blaine's chest and he throws himself at Sebastian in joy, burying his face against Sebastian's wet, bath oil scented shoulder. Water splashes around them but Blaine doesn't care as Sebastian hugs him back, holding him tight.

"I'm sorry," Blaine gasps out. And then, shocking even himself, he adds: "I love you. Sebastian, I love you."

He doesn't say it to get closer to Sebastian for the sake of the wizarding world.

He _means_ it.

He is disappointed but not surprised when Sebastian doesn't say it back, but he feels Sebastian hold him even tighter, and Blaine wouldn't give this moment up for all the treasures in Gringotts.

* * *

Blaine is twenty-three when Sebastian's father takes part in a riot in North Wales where thirty-two Muggles and fifteen wizards and witches are killed.

After Hogwarts Sebastian told him he is too busy with Ministry stuff to have time for Blaine, and Blaine had more dignity than to beg Sebastian to not leave him. He thought about Sebastian sometimes; every time he walked past Quality Quidditch Supplies and saw those terrifying spiked Bludgers, for example, and eating a Licorice Wand made him feel melancholic and upset and his heart hurt inside his chest awfully as he thought about Sebastian's kisses.

Blaine wants to talk with Sebastian, wants to ask him what this means (_I have to follow in dad's footsteps)_, but Sebastian disappears from the Ministry a day after the riot is on the cover of the Daily Prophet and Blaine doesn't know where he lives. He's probably hiding somewhere, maybe in France, maybe in some part of the USA Blaine doesn't even know the name of.

Sebastian finds him a year later.

It's the Quidditch World Cup, and Blaine is looking for a place to set their tents up while Kurt is complaining about the clashing colors of the Quidditch robes of both teams and Rachel is trying to dissuade Finn from betting all his life savings on who will win. The air itself seems to vibrate with the excitement of all the people looking forward to tomorrow. Blaine finally finds a place near a rainbow colored tent when someone suddenly crashes into him.

"Come with me."

It's Sebastian's voice. Blaine instantly recognizes it, his heart skipping a beat. He follows Sebastian without hesitation – just as tall as he was in Hogwarts, his hair a bit longer, and Blaine can't see his face from behind.

Sebastian's tent is small even inside, no fancy furniture or a huge bathtub or a canopy bed, nothing Blaine expected from someone as rich and snobbish as Sebastian.

"Hey," Sebastian turns around, finally facing Blaine. Blaine almost recoils; Sebastian looks paler than a ghost, his eyes empty and exhausted, that proud gleam Blaine considered both annoying and attractive in Hogwarts completely gone. "It's good to see you again."

"Hello," Blaine nods. He isn't sure he is also glad to see Sebastian again. A sense of foreboding fills the space between them, tightening Blaine's chest painfully. "How are you?"

Sebastian takes his robe off, and Blaine opens his mouth to tell him they won't have sex _now_, no way, not after not seeing each other for years. But the words freeze in his throat as he sees _it_ on Sebastian's forearm, the dark lines a stark contrast against his pale skin. The skin Blaine pressed his lips against so many times, playful and reverent and excited kisses against Sebastian's arm, tasting like sweat and dirt or bath oils and water…

The Dark Mark.

"You're not…" Blaine shakes his head, because this must be a nightmare, because Sebastian can't be serious, maybe it's just a stupid prank, not the _real_ Dark Mark. "You can't… You said in Hogwarts you would never…"

Sebastian laughs, dark and bitter, a twisted echo of his bright amused laugh Blaine loved so much in Hogwarts.

"Dad told me too much. So the others visited me and told me either I join them or they kill me. Quite simple, isn't it?"

Blaine feels tears blurry his vision.

"Don't do this. Run away, hide somewhere. You-Know-Who will be defeated one day. He can't live forever."

"One day, huh? _Decades_ later, maybe. Maybe even more." Sebastian's eyes soften as he looks down at Blaine, filled with so much pain and sadness Blaine starts to cry in earnest, biting into his lip to not sob loudly. He used to think Death Eaters are strangers in dark robes and masks hiding in shadows, enjoying murdering innocents, incapable of feeling remorse or misery or anything but sadistic bloodlust. Sebastian Smythe, _Blaine's_ Sebastian, the one who helped him with Transfiguration and held him in his strong arms in the Prefects' bathroom, he _can't_ be a Death Eater.

"Do you still think about me sometimes, Blaine?" Sebastian asks. He takes a step closer, raising his arm to wipe a tear from the corner of Blaine's eyes, but the sight of the skull and the snake is branded into Blaine's mind and he jumps back. Sebastian's arm remains hovering in the air, his smile filled with resignation. Blaine feels guilty, reacting at Sebastian wanting to comfort him like that. _But the Dark Mark._ "Don't. Find someone else. Find another Auror, or a Hogwarts teacher, or someone with a cozy little shop in Diagon Alley. A man who doesn't murder innocents." Blaine cries out at the words, pressing his hand against his mouth, his whole world crashing down around him. "I loved you in Hogwarts. But I'm a Death Eater now and Death Eaters can't love."

Blaine wants to argue with him, because he doesn't want to lose Sebastian like this, but one glance at the Dark Mark and Blaine knows; his Sebastian is already gone.

What kind of a life could they live together, an Auror and a Death Eater? How could they sleep in the same bed, argue about how to get rid of the gnomes in their garden or whether they should choose hiking along the Zombie Trail or touring Egyptian tombs while they know their job is to kill each other?

He stares at Sebastian, at the misery etched into his wan, weary face, dares to look down at the mark on his skin, there until the day Sebastian dies. He thinks about Sebastian in Hogwarts, mean and arrogant _but not a murderer_, a Licorice Wand between his kiss-swollen lips, his eyes sparkling with joy and _love_ at Blaine.

And Blaine apparates before Sebastian could do anything.


End file.
